BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College football team got off to great start against Wooster in its season-opening matchup on Saturday night inside of Reeves Stadium, but the Scots were able to rally and overcome a double-digit deficit in knocking off the Golden Tornadoes, 33-25.

The start couldn't have gone much better of the Golden Tornadoes.  Junior Tyler Lippiatt (Salem, Ohio/United) got Geneva on the board first on a 5-yard touchdown run midway into the first quarter, though the extra point was missed. 

An interception by junior Damian Lomeli (Tampa, Fla./Gaither) gave Geneva the ball back, and Lippiatt would find the end zone again from four yards out to extend the lead to 13-0 ten minutes into the game. 

Geneva's defense proved effective early against Wooster, and sophomore quarterback Brutus Ogilvie (Salem, Ohio/United) made it 19-0 with 6:48 remaining in the half on an 8-yard touchdown run.

However, Wooster finally got its vaunted passing game going late in the half and scored twice in the final minutes, converting two-point plays after each touchdown to pull within 19-16 at the break.

Wooster scored on the opening drive of the third quarter to take its first lead of the game, 23-19.  Lippiatt would answer that score with 20-yard touchdown run to give the Golden Tornadoes the lead back, 25-23, but Wooster scored on the following possession to take a 30-25 lead late in the third quarter, and Geneva could never get the lead back.

Wooster added a field goal in the fourth quarter for the final score of the game, 33-25.

The yardage totals were almost even, with Geneva finishing with 306 yards of total offense, compared to 296 for the Scots.  The Golden Tornadoes picked up 261 yards on the ground, while Wooster totaled 245 yards through the air.  Three Geneva fumbles were costly.

Lippiatt led the offense with 127 yards rushing and three touchdowns, while Ogilvie added 89 yards and a touchdown.  Defensively, senior Nicolas Ottaviani (Beaver Falls, Pa./Riverside) led the team with 11 tackles, while Lomeli picked off two passes.

Geneva heads out onto the road next Saturday for a matchup at Grove City, beginning at 1:00 p.m.  Because of the unbalanced schedule in the conference this year with the addition of Allegheny, the game will not count in the conference standings.

Geneva College is a Christ-centered academic community that provides a comprehensive education to equip students for faithful and fruitful service to God and neighbor. Offering over 145 traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality. Geneva has one of the top 100 undergraduate engineering programs in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report. Adhering to the truth of Scripture, a Geneva education is grounded in God's Word as well as in a core curriculum designed to prepare students vocationally to think, write and communicate well in today's world. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and IACE (International Association for Christian Education).